Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) for Traditional Cultural Practitioners
Summary Notes from the Earthlore Fellows 2025 Workshop (Conducted by Senior Advocate Shyam Padman)
This document outlines the core Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) protections available under Indian Law, focusing on the rights over traditional folklore, original compositions, and the mechanism of royalty for cultural works.
This guide is essential reading for all traditional cultural practitioners. (Please refer to the full class recording/document for complete details.)
Access the presentation on the subject here.
Listen to a deep dive Podcast on the same in English | Malayalam | Kannada
Rights over Traditional and Original Songs
Issue 1: What rights do they have over their traditional songs that have been passed down through...
Original New Songs in Indigenous Languages
Issue 2: When they write new songs in their indigenous languages for films or other projects, w...
Protecting Collective Cultural Heritage & Individual Creative Workage
Objective Strategy / Mechanism Notes / Limitations Protecting tra...
Understanding Royalty
Issue: Many of them do not understand the concept of royalties or how it applies; they are often ...
Legality of Contracts Giving Away "All Rights"
Issue: When they are presented with contracts stating that they have no further rights to their s...
Contracts & Other Practical Tips
Issue: They need to learn how to create simple contracts and invoices that protect their rights a...